The present development relates to a medical stirrup device and method for supporting patient limbs during surgery or other procedures. More particularly, the present development relates to a pediatric stirrup device for supporting the legs or arms of an infant or other small child during surgery or other procedures.
Medical stirrup devices are well known and in widespread use. Heretofore, medical stirrup devices have been provided in one of two forms. One prior device is exemplified by that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,742 to Ford. The Ford ""742 patent discloses a medical stirrup device that utilizes an elongate curvilinear shaft to support foot/ankle straps. The shaft is said to be xe2x80x9cflexiblexe2x80x9d but the shaft are preformed into the curvilinear shape and are not bendable or moldable into a different shape. To adjust the position of the foot/ankle strap and, consequently, the patient""s limb supported thereby, the shaft is rotated. The shaft cannot be bent or otherwise shaped by an end-user during a procedure or otherwise.
Other stirrup devices are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,205 to Mueller and U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,537 to Hopper et al. Here, various linkages and the like are used to adjust the position of the foot/ankle support. The Mueller ""205 patent discloses a stirrup extension bar held in place during use by friction. The Hopper ""537 patent also discloses a device that relies upon friction to hold the stirrup support shaft in a desired operative position.
These prior devices and others have been found to be unsuitable for use during pediatric procedures. In particular, these prior devices do not provide a convenient and effective means by which a physician, nurse or technician can infinitely adjust limb position prior to beginning or in the midst of a procedure. Also, these prior devices typically provide a completely rigid support that does not yield at all to increase comfort. Furthermore, with these prior devices, it is possible to set the stirrup in a position that results in over-extension of the patient""s limb. In light of the foregoing, a need has been identified for a novel and unobvious medical stirrup device that overcomes the foregoing deficiencies and others while providing better overall results.
In accordance with the present invention, a medical stirrup device comprises a base adapted for fixed securement to an associated support member. A gooseneck shaft member includes a proximal end connected to the base and a distal end spaced from the base. The gooseneck shaft member is selectively manually bendable into a curvilinear operative shape between an unbent linear position and a bendable limit of the gooseneck shaft member. A fastening element is located at the distal end of the gooseneck shaft member. The fastening element is adapted to engage an associated mating fastening element of an associated limb support member to connect the associated limb support member to the gooseneck shaft member.